The quest for emergence

Viac o knihe

This comprehensive philosophical introduction explores the concept of emergence, detailing its major varieties and presenting scientific examples alongside the challenges faced by emergentism. The introduction defines emergence and distinguishes between weak and strong emergence. The second chapter offers a brief history of British Emergentism, addressing the configurational forces objection. The third chapter describes instances of weak and strong emergence across various scientific disciplines, including physics, chemistry, biology, neuroscience, psychology, sociology, and economics, using accessible language. The fourth chapter introduces micro-physicalism, a significant challenge to emergentism, and discusses various objections, including Jaegwon Kim’s arguments. The fifth chapter outlines the criteria a robust emergentist theory should meet and the issues it must address. In the sixth chapter, the author examines contemporary varieties of emergentism. Finally, the seventh chapter presents the author’s emergentist theory, emphasizing that emergence primarily involves powers and that emergents exert downward causation through formal influence. This work serves as a thorough exploration of emergence, its implications, and the ongoing debates surrounding it.